Characterization, Images, Action
Characterization Father- Mr.Martini took Bens death as a personal failure. "My father took the madness and death as a personal failure. A failure of foresight. A failure of support. A failure of his genetics, something in his very makeup that had betrayed him and contributed to the death of his youngest son" (Martini, 51). He felt although he let Ben down is a parental way and that is why he committed suicide, but suicide will always place guilt, remorse and regret on everyone involved. Mr.Martini is described as a short, bald man who always regretted every decision he made. He seemed like a pessimist, he grew up during the great depression and taught the kids never to expect praise. He was very unhappy, and probably inhibited a mental illness of his own. He is portrayed sitting in the dark on a chair saying that "All is Lost in Canada" (Martini, 83). He never drove because he did not trust technological advances. "He was a fatalist. A numberologist. A dedicated believer in astrology" (Martini, 83). He also walked a lot with Liv, which seemed to make Liv feel much better and also getting out of the house for the two of them was good. Mother- There is little information about Mrs.Martini. The death of Ben also made her feel guilty, she was outgoing and very articulate. At the end of the memoir in the epilogue she is described with poor vision and okay with clutter in the home she and Liv live in. "Now, struck by her own sense of inadequacy, she retreated" (Martini, 51). Nic- Nic is mentioned very little. He is the eldest, and said to be the leader of the brothers. He loves the environment and the outdoors always wanting to camp. Ben- Clem describeds ben as the smartest and the most attractive of all the brothers (Martini, 15). Suicide says a lot about Ben, the illness quickly consumed him leaving him unable to deal with his hallucinations and lifestyle. "Ben seemed so totally in a fury at me, at what he regarded as my betrayal of his confidence, that we hardly talked anyway" (Martini, 38). Ben did not want Clem to tell anyone about his illness, unable to understand that it is something that needs to be treated right away this shows he is fairly stubborn. Ben constantly ran away from the hospital, he was unable to accept his illness and wanted nothing to do with it. Liv- Liv is the second oldest brother, he was an archaeologist. "He is by nature quiet and shy, but what he knows about commitment, dedication, and determination can't be taught" (Martini, 71). Throughout Liv's illness he kept on pushing, he did not want to end up like Ben and although times were tough he took the illness and tried to figure out ways that he would be able to return back to society. "My brother had displayed an artistic temperament from a very early age... anarchic drawings, sculptures, and ceramic pieces" (Martini, 117). He was very artistic, and considering his illustrations in the memoir it is clear that he is dedicated to his art. "Liv has been extremely anxious at different stages of his life" (Martini, 147). This is understandable, he was constantly unemployed, on the streets, relapsing, he was able to pick himself back up with large thanks to his brother Clem. He feared his illness but had to face it. Liv also always had some sort of optimism and hope that things would get better. Clem- Clem is the writer of the brothers, he always had a way about being able to write and put words together in a formal way. When Ben is diagnosed Clem leaves the country, and he says he is able to justify this by feeling consumed and rejected by Ben and his illness. "Justification is one tiny ingredient of a vast cocktail you imbibe when mental illness is introduced to your life" (Martini, 37). Clem was also very worried and cared for both his brothers Ben and Liv when they both got diagnosed, he seemed like their care taker or held some responsibility to take care of them and make sure that they were okay. He was strong but also had his issues in dealing with his family issues "As you prepare for sleep, you pose the same questions. You feel exhausted when you wake. You don't share your hurt with anyone because you know that everyone else is struggling as well. Why burden others?" (Martini, 51). He was to himself, and didn't want to act like he was weak because he was the back bone from his brother Liv throughout his illness. Passion is also a good word to describe Clem, he is passionate about schizophrenia, mental illness and how he can change it to be shed in a positive light so that those with mental illness can be helped better by society. "Sometimes he tells me that I don't understand the way things are. And I'm certain that sometimes he's right. How could I? He's lived an experience that I have only observed" (Martini, 243). He knows he has tried his best to relate, but he is only Liv's brother and helping in the only way he knows how seems to be enough. Images Images are drawn by Olivier Martini, they look like rough sketches with black marker. They are sometimes concealed in a black box making it look more like a photo or a still photo instead of just a sketch. Some photos contain written blurbs beside them of conversations, or quotes from different people. Sometimes the photo's explain the commentary that Clem has offered the reader and other times the drawings are completely random and hard to understand. The difficulty to understand may be a reflection of the jumble of thoughts that Liv posses'. Action The illustrations portray some action, and if it is not clear that there is an action Liv makes it clear by writing underneath of the photo. As seen in the pictures on the right that Liv and his father went for walks. There is also a photo of the nurses' on strike. There are multiple photos of people walking, which is one of the main actions portrayed. Also, in the pages of the circles of mental health hell there are multiple photos of the devil which seems to be consuming the life of Liv and dragging him into the dark side. Color The color in the illustrations are strictly black and white. The only difference are the shadows and things that are filled in, thick and thin lines which make the photos different and more dramatic. The color of the cover of the memoir is dark purple and looks like it was colored in with a marker. Everything is hand drawn on the cover except for the font of the authors. There is a photo of a medicine bottle and two men who are Clem and Liv. The black and white drawings are very basic but get across exactly what Liv and Clem want to explain. -Anna Garcia Ambler http://nypost.com/2009/10/04/my-mysterious-lost-month-of-madness/ Brain on Fire is about a journalist who goes through a month with mental illness and tells her personal account. I (Anna Garcia) have read it and it is compareable to Bitter Medicine in the way her family dealt with the turmoil that they were put through. The video is posted below.